Authors: Winter, David¹; Sireling, Lester²; Riley, Tony³; Metcalfe, Christopher⁴; Quaite, Ash⁵; Bhandari, Suchitra²

Source: Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, Volume 80, Number 1, March 2007 , pp. 23-37(15)

Abstract:

Evidence for the effectiveness of psychological therapies for people who self-harm is limited. Personal construct theory provides a model of self-harm and a framework for therapeutic intervention, which was evaluated in the present study. Sixty-four adults presenting to Accident and Emergency departments following self-harm were allocated to a personal construct psychotherapy or a `normal clinical practice' condition. They completed various measures at assessment points pre- and post-therapy. Repetition of self-harm was assessed over a 3-year period. Participants in the intervention condition showed significantly greater reduction in suicidal ideation, hopelessness and depression post-treatment than the control group; and significantly more reconstruing at this point and 6-month follow-up. There was some evidence suggestive of a lower frequency of repetition of self-harm in the intervention than in the control group. It is concluded that brief personal construct psychotherapy may be effective for people who self-harm and merits further exploration.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1348/147608306X102778

Affiliations: 1: Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, UK; University of Hertfordshire, UK 2: Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, UK 3: Barnet Primary Care NHS Trust, UK 4: University of Bristol, UK 5: University of Hertfordshire, UK